you better off than you were four years ago. they finally embraced it, and the ads down the stretch. but there was always this hesitancy, because just as these statistics bear out, there is some good information, some good news. but there is also some bad news too. >> and, look, the unemployment rate is one of the good news stories. the economy is growing. not the way it needs to. but both of those in better shape. >> but the most -- the striking stat stick there, the number of troops in iraq. that was the issue that launched barack obama's candidacy, allowed him to beat hillary clinton in 2008, allowed him to beat john mccain in that general election. and you see those numbers, what they were in january, 2009. >> i forget how much people didn't like that war. and still don't like that war to this day. and that brings us to our nbc "wall street journal" poll we will have tonight and tomorrow morning. >> 6:30 tonight with the first numbers. >> get over to first read and see all of mark's breakdowns. >> thanks, chuck. >>> now to b